A Charter Program From Samara To Iraklion Will Be Launched On June 17th

[IMG=20040-5803]A charter program from Samara to Iraklion initiated by three Moscow tour-operating companies – Bureau South Cross, UTE Megapolus and Zeus Travel – will be launched on June 17th. The charter program to the destination was announced last year, however, according to Andrey Kuznetsov, General Director of Zeus Travel, only three flights were operated owing the wrong choice of a partnering company in Samara. ‘this year we will operate flights by AirUnion TU-154 in cooperation with Aviacharter. The aircraft is divided into blocks between the three companies’. It is planned to realize 10 flights to Iraklion until September and at the moment flights are booked well. Victoria Kizimova, Tourism Director of UTE, added: ‘our partners in Samara and Tolyatti expressed enthusiasm towards the Cretan project. At the moment there are bookings even for the third flight’. Meanwhile, representatives of travel companies from Samara, interviewed by a BANKO correspondent, divided opinions towards the perspectives of Greek sales. Thus, according to Olga Levikina, Director of Meridian Travel Agency, the demand for Crete was high five-six years ago. ‘At the moment we have more bookings to the continental Greece. As for the success of the flight to Iraklion, time will tell’, commented General Director Deputy of Globus-tour, Valery Shmelev. Meanwhile, Natalia Zavalischina, Director of Intourist-Samara, said she sold all quotas for the first two flights: ‘there are always tourists who prefer islands. Tourism on the Italian and Greek Islands is flourishing now’. Furthermore, Elena Segal, General Director of Samaraintour, explained the clash of opinions on the flight to Crete by the peculiarity of the destination not realized by all clients and travel agencies yet. ‘Many travel agents think they can sell last-minute tours to Crete comparing it to Turkey. But in Crete good hotels are to be booked in advance’, said Segal.